In the interest of discovering good fiction, you might consider browsing this list of supposedly Hugo-worthy books from Sad Puppies 4. I found it interesting.

Note to all bodies: when it comes to the methodology and process one follows to arrive at her/his Hugo award nominations, I'm Switzerland. That AND civility and grace should rule the day in any case.

Please refrain from posting a for-or-against comment about the Sad Puppies on my blog. Please. I'll delete it. It's my blog and I am Switzerland. There's room for everyone in Switzerland and a waiting hot cup of Swiss Miss too. I have below-zero interest in debating "Slate Gate." Go read the posts of Eric Flint or John Scalzi or Brad Torgerson or George R. R. Martin if you want to get lost in the weeds. (Some good reading in those weeds by the way).

Some accomplished authors appear on SP4's list: Eric Flint; Anne Leckie (I've interviewed her twice on my blog, here and here); John Ringo; and Brian Sanderson among others, and many authors I know little or nothing about. I find myself overwhelmingly book-curious after examining a list of "must-reads." Are you even the tiniest bit curious?

If yes, then scan the list, buy, and read good books. If, after reading this post, your hackles are up, well, I really am sorry. May I suggest a heavy bag? I hung one in my garage for just such moments. Wrap your knuckles tightly, or buy some monkey gloves, and have at it. It's cheap therapy, folks. Trust me on that one.

John and Patrick were very gracious with their time when UNBREAKABLE came out; the podcast they produced was terrific. These guys are SF/F to the core, and tolerable singers too. Donate to support their podcast, Functional Nerds, and keep the conversation going. See here for details: https://www.patreon.com/functionalnerds?ty=h

Cheers to John Anealio​,Patrick Hester, and functional nerds everywhere.

The finalists for the 2014 Hugo Awards and for the 1939 Retrospective Hugo Awards have been selected. Winners will be announced during Loncon3 in London, which takes place August 14-18.Check out my interview with one of the finalists, Anne Leckie. My money is on her. w-c-bauers-talks-with-ann-leckie.htmlThere's much talk about who's on the list, who isn't, who should have been and who should definitely NOT be. For what it's worth, I believe it should be about the work, not the politics of the author. The SF community is incredibly diverse: left and right, near and far (remember Grover?), humans and droids, SF and sci-fi (you should hear the rants), blah blah blah. Make it about the work. If you liked the book and deem it worthy, vote for it. If not, don't. If you can't vote, buy a membership so you can. At the very least, go buy a book (physical or digital - I support both). Happy post-Easter whether your an "egg" or a "cross" (or both).